Almost 6ms- one hour naps-what does that mean?(ACK! TEETH!!!! ;) )

[Smurfette]

Hi there
 A few questions- my DD is 1 1/2 weeks shy of 6 months and her naps are kinda jumping around (from an hour to 2.5 hrs) in length, 2nd naps of the day were always shorter. Now this week she is starting to take shorter morning naps again -Monday- 1.15, yesterday was 1.40, today 1.10, waking up happy and quiet (I have a camera so I can see she is up, but I leave her until she starts to call/squawk).
She also still takes a 30min catnap and bedtime is 6 30ish.
 I've increased her A time from 2hrs to 2.20 ish (just started yesterday), but wondering if she still needs more? I'm so scared to OT her and go back to the dreaded 30-45 min nap. (cue scary music here!)

Questions are
What are the tired cues at this age? (she only yawns and rubs eyes once I'm in her room and sitting quietly with her)
How long does it take for them to respond to increase A time-should it be immediate?
Also-if she wakes up after an hour-do I shorten the next A time ?
Should I just chill out and be happy that she's happy?

Thanks for your assistance!

[mamatolevi]

Hi there!
6 months is such a tricky age - tired signs get really hard to read (for me they were nonexistent!), and lots of babis are getting ready to drop the catnap so A times are difficult to figure out. My DS started having 1hr naps right around this age. Increased A time did the trick- I remember increases coming fast and furious, it was hard to stay on top of things! I think he went from 2hrs to 3hrs in less than a month! Here is a link to some sample schedules:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=164029.0
If you think your LO is ready for more A time, remember to go slow and keep an eye out for OT Once you're at about 3 hrs, you should be ready to drop the CN (yay!!!!)
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64837.0
After a 1hr nap, I would try reducing the next A time a little bit, maybe 15 min. But, all LO's are different. It's something you'll have to tweak and see what works best for you and your LO. Sorry, I know that's vague.

Should I just chill out and be happy that she's happy?

Definitely! Don't stress unless it becomes a big problem, like interrupted night sleep or cranky OTness

How long does it take for them to respond to increase A time-should it be immediate?

For us, the effect was immediate - IF it was the right amount of A time. If it was too much, we'd get a short OT nap. But, we'd learn and move on and try less A the next day.
I hope at least some of this was helpful - let me know how you get on! You're doing a great job!
xoxo
Nikki

[Smurfette]

Thanks so much for your reply!

After I wrote the above message, she had a 45 min afternoon nap that resulted in me spending much time shh/patting her, her falling asleep and then waking up.
I ended up bursting into tears b/c I just couldn't settle her and felt like a failure, which of coursed caused her to cry b/c she was scared.

Well then it was time to feed her and what do I discover??? A TOOTH!
Pfffft.
She's cutting her first tooth and probably has been teething for the past week, if not more.
 I feel bad that I was trying so hard to get her to sleep when she was in pain, but it helps to explain the last week, (in addition to why she's been chomping on my nipple ) and b/c I was looking for answers on here, I've realized that I can start to increase her A time.

Today DH was taking care of her most of the day and she was definitely in better spirits, stayed up 2hrs for the first A time, and then about 2 1/2 for the next 2 A times and took 2  1 1/2hr naps, plus the catnap. She woke up a few times from both naps (darn you 45 min mark!!!), but settled herself within minutes and didn't need my husband to go into her room!
Yaaay!

I need to remember this for the next tooth!

Again, thanks for your help.

[mamatolevi]

Congrats on the tooth! Hopefully things will start to settle out....until the next tooth, of course!